Redemption
by James Angelus
Summary: Angel after the Apocalypse in the last episode.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is my first fan fiction story, and it has to do with Angel, from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My g/f is encouraging me to pursue this story, I have one chapter so far, so please fell free to comment, and let me know what you think. Encouragement is a must Lol. Thank you.**

_Redemption_

A vampire with a soul, we have all heard this story before, Angel thought to himself as he walked. My life was perfect just a couple of years ago, when I had Buffy at my side in Sunnydale, Spike was evil, Nothing could defeat me, and I felt like I was at home. Now I'm in a God forsaken city, without a son, no girlfriend, living at least, and I'm constantly fighting to redeem myself for the sins I have committed. As Angel walked he tossed his coat back as he splashed his new boots in a big puddle in the street. The alley seemed to go on forever; it was a dark, damp, and cold place, which seemed all too familiar in his days of slaying.

"When did you get here?" Angel said as he looked over by the fire escape of an old apartment building.

"Just a minute ago mate, you looked lost in thought. Thinking about our girl again?"

"How many times do I have to tell you Spike, she's not our girl."

Spike lit his cigarette and took a long drag, "What the bloody hell do you mean, not our girl? Have you been brooding for so long that you can't remember that we both died for her?"

"Yeah, I remember, but as far as the dying thing goes, I gave my life her, and saved the world." Angel said as he waved the smoke away from his face.

"Me too, or didn't you get the memo I left on your desk. This soul thing doesn't make any sense anymore, it's like I'm stuck here on this bloody planet until I either die again and go to hell, or the big guy sends me his personal jet."

"It makes perfect sense, we fought the good fight, and now that it's over we have unfinished business to take care of before we can make it to the next step." Angel says as he starts walking towards his red sleek viper.

"Can I come? There isn't much to do now that the apocalypse is over." Spike says as he walks towards the car.

"No, I need some time alone Spike, and whenever you come around, all you do is cause problems for me."

"I love you too" Spike takes his last drag on his Marlboro red, and then stomps it out. "You know you can't beat yourself up for everything that's happened in your life.  
This isn't the past anymore, things are different now, no war, nothing left to fight except our souls and making things right Angel."  
Angel starts his car and pulls out into the street; he looks back at Spike as he drives off. Man, I could have saved Gunn, if I had just taken out those two vampires before going after that dragon. Wesley would have lived if he had come with us. Illyria is gone, and I haven't seen her since that night in the alley. Angel accelerates to 65 and concentrates on the road. Five minutes pass as he pulls up next to an old and stingy warehouse downtown. Angel smells a scent he hasn't smelled in a long time. He starts to think about the hotel, and holding his son next to the crib, when a door opens and a forgotten voice says...

"Hello Angel."

Meanwhile Spike walks down into a demon bar he hasn't been to in a while. He opens the door and a fist meets with his jaw.

"What the Hell?"

"Sorry, I thought you were a victim." A vamp says as he snarls.

Spike gets up, dusts off his coat, and wipes the blood from his lip and his face changes.

"You're gonna pay for that" he says as he connects with the vamps jaw. They back up and stare each other down.

Spike sizes him up and then leaps towards him. The vamp dodges him, and makes a roundhouse kick which Spike catches and gives him another lick to the face. Spike pulls a stake out of his jacket pocket as the vamp hits the concrete. He casually walks over and stabs the vamp right through the heart. As the vampire turns to ash, Spike lights a cigarette and steps inside.

"What'll it be tonight, Spike?" the bartender asks while cleaning a shot glass. Spike pulls the ashtray next to him from across the bar and ashes his cigarette after taking a long drag.

"I'll have a double shot of whiskey."

After taking a drink, he watches the showgirls dancing across from him on the stage. There is a beautiful skinny blonde wearing a black lacey bra, black g-string, black sheer stockings, and 6-inch heels. On the right is a young redhead wearing a nurse costume dancing with a short brunette vengeance demon. The dancers start to move faster as a DJ puts on a techno song.  
Why am I still here? Spike thinks while taking another drag. I've done it all, seen it all, and killed just about anything that moved. I was evil and didn't give a damn what happened to me. I've fallen in love, with two women who have torn my heart out. I got my soul back, fought evil, saved the world, and drank almost every bar out of business. He sighs, puts out his cigarette and motions for the bartender to give him another whiskey. The only thing I have left to do is confront Buffy and tell her how I feel. He thinks about her blonde, soft hair, and starts to remember how she would look at him. He starts to feel anxious and snaps out of it. After taking his shot he puts his head down and closes his eyes as he blacks out.

"I've got to find Buffy."


	2. Chapter 2

"It's good to see you again son," Angel says as he walks inside the building. The large warehouse gave him a chill as he walked past wounded children and teenagers. He looked at all of the sick, swollen necked victims that had been attacked by the vampires that have run loose on the streets. Ever since the fall of Wolfram & Hart, and the apocalypse, all of the demons had taken over most of the city. Angel, Spike, and Connor with a few allies had been the only ones left to fight back. The population decreased quickly as Angel formed a small army and fought most of the demons off and ran the rest out of town.  
All that is left of the demon population in Los Angeles is vampires and scavenger demons. He walked over to a young boy and tried to address his neck wound. He grabbed a cloth from a table next to him and started to wipe the boy's neck as he screams and starts to fade faster and faster. After putting pressure on the wound, the boy dies due to lack of strength and loss of blood. Angel closed the boy's eyes and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Is this worth it dad?" Connor asked while patting his father on the back.

"I ask the same question every day."

"When will this ever end, the fighting, deaths, insomnia?" Connor asks.

"Not any time soon, that's actually why I came. I need you to take over for me, I'm going to find someone and I don't think I will be coming back to LA."

"I know what you're up to; you're going to find Buffy aren't you?" Connor asks with a grin on his face. Angel says nothing as he turns towards an empty cage. "I plan on making things right with her, and starting fresh now that things have gotten better in our worlds. This cage looks familiar, I've seen it before."

"I picked it up in the ruins of Wolfram & Hart. I found who it belonged to as well." Angel suddenly got a worried look on his face. "You found Nina?" he said. "Yeah, she joined my crew and is helping us fight now that she is almost a full-time werewolf."

Connor had met Angel's recent flame Nina in an alley while he was on the trail of a werewolf. He was hunting her, and watched as she changed into a lusty, blonde babe. They talked after he caged her for a couple of days, explaining their origins, and their connections to Angel. Connor fell in love with her at first sight. They started to talk more and more until things ended up getting fleshy between them.

"I'm glad she's okay. It makes me feel good that every girl I date you shack up with eventually," Angel laughs, and pats him on the shoulder. Connor laughs along with him as they sit down. Connor pulls a coke out of the refrigerator in the corner of the room and hands Angel a pack of pig's blood. Angel starts to feel refreshed after the long day he has had. The blood is cold and very fresh, and goes down very fast as he gulps the rest down. After catching up on the things that have happened recently with the apocalypse; Angel decides to leave and slowly gets up out of the chair. He gives his son a hug, which he feels he will never give again. "Thank you son, you're a true champion."

He turns and walks towards the door, a shadowy figure walking off in the moonlight. His black leather coat sways as he nears the doorway. "Will I ever see you again dad?" Connor asks with a sad tone.

"One day son."

"Dru….What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Spike asks as he opens his eyes. "This has got to be a dream, you aren't real, and besides you got fat." He watches as she walks up to him and starts to rub his head and massage his upper body. "Please keep doing that, it feels great." She starts to rub his chest and moves down slowly to his abs. She starts to go real slow before she stabs him with a stake.

"Ahhh…….," Spike lets out a yell as she pushes it in deeper and deeper in his gut. He opens his mouth and blood starts to spurt and run down his lips on to his chest. He rears his head slowly upward to see that Drusilla was gone and the woman he is staring at is now…

"Buffy….why…did…you….," he says as his body starts to dissolve into ash. He screams as he wakes from a deep, drunken sleep. His body is moist and covered with sweat. He sits up and leans against a cold, hard wall. He looks around and realizes that he is no longer in the bar, but has a massive headache and a strong nicotine craving. He searches his coat for his pack of reds. He pulls out his lighter and a cigarette and lights it up. After taking a long drag and popping his neck he stands up and starts to walk.  
The dreams are getting worse, and I can't figure out what it is, he thought while taking another drag. As he walks down the alley into the night he starts to remember the last dream he had. He was fighting Angel for the golden cup and for the drink of the champion. He starts to walk faster when he thinks about Angel beating him into a pulp and feeling his lungs explode as Angel pins him to the ground and pulls a steak from his coat.  
"Face it Spike, everything you touch you destroy. Buffy doesn't love you because you raped her, Dru wanted a real demon, and you died because you were weak. You are never going to make it to heaven Spike. You have killed thousands of innocents, just because you have a soul that doesn't make you a man. See you in hell Spike." Just as he says his last words, Angel steaks Spike through the heart and crushes the rest of his body into nothing but floating dust. I know that Angel has always been a real sod, but these dreams are becoming a pattern; someone is in my head and messing with my memories.  
They won't stop until I either lose my cool and go evil again or I get killed. I hope someone dusts me before I hurt another person again. I can't take anymore of this torture. I've got to get to the bottom of this and there is only one man who can help me find out what's going on. Spike finally throws his cigarette to the ground and stomps it out as he climbs in his old painted car. He starts the car and tips back a bottle of Jack as he starts to sing along with the sex pistols. He starts driving down the road, and looks out the window into the night searching the sky and the stars.  
As he finishes the first track on his stereo, his head starts to pound and a bright flash enters his mind. He immediately blacks out and his head falls on the steering wheel, as the rest of his body goes limp. The car swerves and he cuts across the road and the car makes a leap over the wall of the highway. As it starts to land it flips end over end until it crashes hard against the pavement. Spike is out, and screaming in pain as his next nightmare begins.


	3. Chapter 3

As Angel hits the interstate he gets a strong feeling of foreshadowing. A million thoughts invade his head as he accelerates. What will she look like? Will she be happy to see me? What will Dawn say? Will we work it out? The questions seemed to race by as fast as the car was going in his mind. The wind starts to howl and flow through Angel's hair as the Dodge Viper accelerates to 80. It's a cold night out with a clear sky. The moon is full and illuminates each mile marker and exit sign as the car speeds by. He finally makes it to the city, with not a moment to spare. He starts to apply pressure on the brake and clutch as he coasts down the street in Times Square.

"Wow, a lot's changed since 1912." Angel says as he parks and climbs out of the car. He stares at the big screens on the tall skyscrapers covering the city, watching advertisements flash by, one after the other. He almost forgets why he came as he takes in the new-found surroundings. He checks the left pocket of his leather coat for the letter he received from Willow two weeks ago. He studies the directions as he walks down the sidewalk.

After walking down what seems like an endless five blocks, he arrives at his destination. The building is very tall and modern looking, with fire escapes next to the windows on each floor. It had a very elegant doorway that led into a very spacious lobby. A doorman opened the heavy doors as Angel walked through into the lobby. He said thank you, and continued to the elevator. Once inside, he starts to feel very nervous and anxious as he reaches the fifth floor. He exits the elevator and walks slower and slower with each step, until he reaches a door with the number "501" on it.

He knocks three times on the door and waits for an answer. No answer. He turns around and immediately starts to check his hair in the emergency glass next to the doorway. The door opens suddenly and a voice says, "Angel….is that you?"

"Yeah," he says as he turns around and walks towards the door.

"I can't believe it's you, we haven't heard from anyone since the fall of Wolfram & Hart."

"It's a long story."

"It's so good to see you and to know you're not dragon food or anything," she says with a smile of relief. Suddenly, a loud beeping noise goes off in the kitchen.

"That would be the pizza, it's about time." Angel stands in the doorway waiting.

"Are you just gonna stand there all night?" she says grabbing a slice from the pan. "Have you forgotten? This isn't your old house; you have to invite me in." She motions to the kitchen and invites him in. As he walks through he can smell Buffy's scent throughout the entire place. He walks towards a small kitchen with a crowded bar full of groceries, and advances towards the refrigerator. He opens the door and finds a pack of blood, after opening and taking a large gulp he starts to walk towards the large, brown, sectional couch. He sits down and starts to watch as his attention focuses on Grey's Anatomy displayed on the high definition t.v. in front of him.

"Where is your sister?" He asks taking another gulp of the warm pig's blood down.

"She went out just a little while ago."

"You've grown a lot since I last saw you Dawn."

"Well, it's been a while since you ran out on me and Buffy, but I'm not holding a grudge," she responds while inhaling the last bite of the slice. They sat in silence for a while, until the doorknob started to turn. Angel turned around and watched with great anticipation as the door was flung open. A tall, thin girl with long golden hair entered the room, and the way the light shined on her face Angel thought he was staring at the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, Buffy.

"Dawn is the pizza….Angel? Why are you here? How are you here? I thought you were dead….dust I mean." Angel was left speechless, just standing there in her presence like a statue, unable to move or speak. She dropped her purse, and ran towards Angel like a kid in a candy store, almost knocking him over as she wrapped her arms around his body and squeezed as tight as she could. Tears flowed from her eyes as she could feel his touch, and knew that this moment was real.

"It's so good to see you," Buffy said wiping a tear from her face.

"It's good to see you too," he said running his fingers through her soft, golden hair.

"Can you two get a room please?" Dawn says while turning the volume up on the t.v.

"Dawn's right, we should talk, that's why I'm here Buffy."

"Ok."

The only sound that is heard in the spacious 2 bedroom apartment is the sound of the door closing behind Angel as Buffy leads him into her room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys. My house got broken into about a month ago and my laptop with all of my updates was one of the things stolen. I'm in the process of rewritting it all, so please bare with me. Thank you for reading! **

* * *

"Welcome back Spike," the voice said as it roused him from his sleep. As his eyes opened, a bright white light illuminated the room around him. A doctor was standing at the foot of his bed, going through his chart. As Spike began to sit up in the bed, he could feel searing pain surging through his body.

"Who are you…the wizard of oz?" Spike asked, as he rubbed his temple.

"I'm doctor Sloan." The tall man said. "You had quite an accident on the highway last night."

"I take it I'm in the hospital then?"

"Correct, I'm gonna need to ask you a few questions for the police." Dr. Sloan said as he flipped the chat shut.

"Alright. Why do I feel like a rubber chicken, doc?" Spike said as he adjusted him self in the bed, trying to apply pressure on the right side of his body, as the left side started cramping.

"We gave you a mild sedative after you woke up, to keep the pain from being to extreme. May I continue with the questions?"

"Why not? I'm not going anywhere, am I?"

"Were you under the influence of any types of drugs?"

"Trust me doc…I gave that up a long time ago."

"Were you under the influence of Alcohol?"

"Yeah, quite a bit actually…that whiskey went straight to my head," Spike said while searching his coat for a cigarette and his zippo. As he snapped open the top, and lit his cigarette.

"There is no smoking in this hospital." Dr. Sloan said with a raised voice.

"No worries mate, I'm checking out. The pyro thing wasn't ever my scene. Bleeding blokes from the neck suited me best."

Before the Doctor turned around to stop him, he realized he was the only one left in the room. The double doors sway back and forth as Spike leaves the hospital. He gets a chill as he realizes he is no where close to finding the answers to the questions that are swimming through his mind. It had been a year since the night in the alley. Flashbacks replayed in his mind over and over as he kept walking. His healing powers had almost stopped working, as he becomes human more and more by the hour. He wouldn't begin to understand the change, because it has been nearly 200 years since he felt a heartbeat. Angel and Spike had made all the difference in fighting Wolfram & Hart. They finally got what they're heart's desired…well…almost everything.

The moon was full and lit up the city like a beacon. His attention was suddenly diverted as a 1979 black dodge charger blazed down the street directly in front of him. It made a sharp turn down the alley diagonally from Hollywood Avenue. The tires screeched as the car came to a halt. Spike picked up a familiar scent as the driver emerged from the car at a full sprint towards the back door of the warehouse. The door slammed shut as Spike quickened his pace towards the same destination.

He stuck to the shadows as he came up right on the car. He opened the door and prowled very slowly tracking the familiar scent. A huge dome was the first thing he saw entering the room. The light from the moon barley pierced through the tiny windows on the ceiling. As he moved closer to another doorway his senses went berserk.

"Help, Oh God, Please help me!" A voice shrieked in terror from the other side.

"No one here, but you and me, slayer."

Spike put al the weight he had into the door as it gave way straight into a dark circular room. He watched as the silhouetted figure helped a crying shaking girl to her feet and carried her back towards the doorway. The girl fell to the ground yelping in pain as the figure tossed her in front of Spike. He stayed back as he watched the figure approach the girl. Grabbing her by the neck a snarl came from the thin vampire. Pushing her head to the side, the vamp drove his teeth back into her neck and began to drink. Spike threw a punch that connected with the vampires face that shattered his nose.

"Run." Spike said jumping back to defend the oncoming kick. The vamp whiffed and fell into the moonlight casting onto the floor from the room Spike had previously entered from. Spike couldn't believe that Andrew was rising to his feet.

"Andrew? What happened to you?"

"Spike? Wow, of all the people to try to slay me, it had to be you." Andrew grinned so wide that blood ran down his chin.

"How did this happen? You went from being a gay Trekkie to this?"

"It's not Andrew anymore, I'm Darth Kane now, and to answer your question, I got turned six months ago." He lunged at Spike, tackling him to the ground with tremendous force that shook the wooden floor beneath them.

"I was training slayers and got caught in the middle of a vamp nest, they just left me there to die Spike. Now I hunt each and every one of the little bitches that left me there, and drain their precious slayer blood."

Spike burst into laughter as he rose to his feet. "So, you went from being the nerd who jacked off to Star Wars, to a vampire? This is a bloody funny hell of a world we live in. I mean come on…I can't fight you, this is too bloody funny."

"Quit laughing at me, I'm your kryptonite you peroxide haired Billy Idol."

"Nice one. Sorry, but I got to do this mate." Spike said leaping over Andrew, staking him through the chest as he hit the ground. Spike curses as he exits the building and hops in the running car.

"Sorry Andrew, I'll get the guys that did this to you." He said into the darkness as he slammed the gas, heading off into the night.


End file.
